Month: March 2014

Qatar coach “Iran is quite strong and a team with a global reputation.”


The Algerian coach of Qatar National Football team , Djamel Belmadi said that we have to accept the result of the draw that placed Qatar to face of Iran, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.”

In an interview with Al Kass TV ,  a Qatari sport network broadcasting from Doha,  he added “At this level you should accept the results and the draws. We must be ready for all situations.”

In his assessment of the teams that will compete with Qatar in Group C ,  Belmadi added “The Iranian national team is quite strong and a team with a global reputation beyond the region. UAE team is stubborn and went through an successful evolution recently, while the Bahraini team should always be respected … generally speaking, it will be difficult and a tough group”.

The 38 years old  Belmadi admitted that the national team did not perform well in the West Asia Cup despite winning the title, but said that “we will have enough time to get ready for the competition and to perform up to expectation  in the AFC Asian Cup 2015.”

He continued “We will have a preparatory camp and we have a good opportunity to prepare well. We are entering a different competition in the Asian Cup, unlike West Asian (WAFF) competition. In Australia, we will be facing the best and we must prepare for that and be at our best.”

“Our hopes and our aspirations are legitimate, as we have what it takes at this level of competition.”

“With our resources and standard, it is our legitimate ambitions to go far in the competition and do well but despite this ambition, we also need to remain realistic.”

He continued “We have to aspire to be better and start looking beyond mere participation by challenging the title.”

The Algerian coach of Qatar made a tour of Australia to inspect stadiums and sports facilities in order to familiarize himself with the quality of the facilities, “That tour shall result in a more efficient preparatory program that can enhance our team chances in the tournament and enable us to perform with all of our strength.”

“I have a long list of candidates for the national team. I will choose players from league matches and the Gulf Cup.” With regard to the final list that will be chosen to represent Qatar in the AFC Asian Cup 2015 , Bulmadhi explained “ it is still too early, but initially we will invite players who are already in the current squad.”

He added “There are a lot of players who can be with the team, but in the end there are league matches and the Gulf Cup competition which will allow us to truly appraise the potentials and the level of the players.”

 Djamel Belmadi has been appointed as the head coach of Qatar football Team two weeks ago. He played as a professional in several European clubs including Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille, Cannes, Celta Vigo, Manchester City, before heading to the Persian Gulf to play for Al-Ittihad and Al-Kharitiyath in Qatar. He had a 2 year spell with Southampton in the Championship between 2007–2009 before hanging his boots with Valenciennes.

He is a young coach who started with Kharitiyath and Qatar B team. His selection as a head coach has raised a few eyebrows in Qatar who normally look at high profile experienced coaches. The Qatar FA , like mny of the Arab states of Persian Gulf , are notorious for sacking coaches.

 Djamel Belmad is the 13th coach of Qatar since years 2000 , making it an average of 1 coach every year.

Dejagah wonder strike not enough for Fulham.

Team Melli and Fulham player Ashkan Dejagh came in as a substitute in the 65th minute of the Premiere League match against Everton to score a stunner and level the match 1-1.

The match played in Craven cottage , the home of Fulham in South West London , was mainly dominated by Fulham from the onset of the game. Howevr , the home team , despite creating many scoring chances, failed to capitalize as the half ended scoreless.

In the 2nd half, Everton went ahead when Fulham player Stockdale scored an own goal on 51′. Ashakan Dejagah was substituted in on 65′ for Richardson and 6 minutes later he scored a stunning goal from a fine individual effort.

However K. Mirallas 79′  (assist by A. McGeady) and then  S. Naismith 87′ scored two goals for Everton for Fulham to lose this important match and remain at the bottom of the league ranking and very much on the path to relegation.

 

Carlos Queiroz joins top coaches in “Talking football”

Top World Cup teams coaches Paulo Bento (Portugal), Luiz Felipe Scolari (Brazil), Carlos Queiroz (Iran) and Santos (Greece) will discuss expectations for Mundial 2014 during the “Talking Football” conference to be held on 07 April in Lisbon.

According to the organization, the role of training in competitive football is another issue to emerge by speakers of the event, which will analyze the different dimensions of the football phenomenon across diverse thematic panels.

The World Cup in Brazil this year will be the central theme of the afternoon panels. Iran has been drawn with Argentina , Bosnia- Herzegovina and Nigeria in Group F.

 

World Cup quiet achievers Iran and Nigeria keen to change perceptions.

By:Vitor Sobral

UPDATED  28 Mar 2014
 The football coaches from the national teams of Iran and Nigeria say the World Cup is an opportunity for their countries to change perceptions.

In late November 1997 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground Australian football suffered one of its most disastrous moments.

The Socceroos appeared on their way to the World Cup in France as they lead Iran 2-0 in a World Cup playoff.

But two goals in quick succession knocked the Australians out and the ensuing Iranian celebration in front of a packed MCG has been forever etched in the Asian country’s football folklore.

It is this spirit that Iran will call on when they take to the field for their fourth World Cup appearance at Brazil 2014.

“I will look to face the group stage with only one thing in mind, we’re going to work hard, we are going to try and qualify the team for the second round,” said Iran coach Carlos Queiroz.

It won’t be easy however, with the Iranians drawn alongside Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Nigeria in Group F.

For a country that is often seen as an international pariah, the world football stage is also a chance to change perceptions.

“The most important thing is the legacy that Iran must take from this World Cup [to] put the shirt in a better place,” said Queiroz.

One of their opponents in Brazil, Nigeria, will be looking to be tournament’s entertainers.

The Super Eagles burst onto the scene in 1994, qualifying for the last 16 while playing some of the exciting football of USA 94.

The Nigerians will be hoping to emulate that side in Brazil.

“I love offensive football, because people that comes out to the stadium they come to enjoy their money and see good football,” said Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi.

While Nigeria and Iran may not be among the favourites at Brazil 2014, they do have the potential to be the entertainers of this World Cup.

Team Melli needs a major overhaul for Asian Cup 2015,

Regardless to the outcome of the result by Team Melli in the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2014, Team Melli needs new blood, new mentality and a whole new idea to put Iran firmly on the Asian Football map for the AFC Asian Cup 2015 competition. This current generation of players of Team Melli is aging and Iran could very well be the oldest team in the World Cup. Apart from a few number of players in the current squad, Team Melli must look at the new generation.

Iran has never been short of young talents and potentials in football, what is lacking in this area , is management and utilization of these talents. The worst examples of misguiding and poor handling of young talented players are the league clubs. With the pressure to succeed or avoid relegation as the case might be, almost all the Iranian clubs are hesitant and reluctant to give opportunities to talented young players.  It is very obvious if these young players are not given playing times, their chances of progress are limited or slowed down, some never reaching the potential. Subsequently, if there is no playing time at the club level, it will be even more difficult to be selected for Team Melli

It is simply quite difficult for the coaches of Team Melli to select a young talents into the squad without him being able to make the first team in his club.

There are some exceptions though as seen in Foolad Khuzestan club. The club from the south has won the league years back with one of the youngest or least experience squads on records. This season with 3 matches to go , Foolad Khuzestan  might very well repeat that feat and win the title again by a young team. So, the myth that a team requires older and senior players to win league title is ,  not strictly true.

Currently , Iran is blessed with some wonderful talents in the right age brackets. Kaveh Rezaei , Payam Sadeghian, Alireza Jahanbaksh , Mohsen Mosalman , Sardar Azmoun, Bakhtiyar Rahmani , Arash Afshin , Milad Sarlak, Yaghoub Karimi , Ali Karimi (Sepahan), Amir Mohammad Mazloum, Mostafa Hashemi , Mehrdad Jamaati , Jallaledin  Alimohamadi , Omid  Allishah , Omid Ebrahimi , Shoja’a Khalilzadeh, Mehdi Sharifi, Milad Fakhreddini , Shahryar Shirvand  are amongst the best. Many of them have represented Iran at international and continental levels in age group levels , most suffer lack of regular playing time.

With Carlos Queiroz being unlikely to be the head coach of Team Melli in January 2015, it all depends on the future coach’s  vision and whether he will be influenced in using the same old players , or be courageous enough to go for the youth or a right balance of talented and seasoned players.

Nekounam , Shojaei , Khalatbary , Amir Hossein Sadeghi , Hosseini , Ahmadi ,  Jabbari and many others are on the twilight of their careers and have been less prominent in Team Melli outfits recently,  The replacements are already available, it only needs a firm , ambitious and aspiring mind set to make it happen.

Arsenal make £2million offer for ‘Iranian Lionel Messi’ Sardar Azmoun

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Arsenal make offer for ‘Iranian Messi’
Arsenal are keen on Sardar Azmoun (Picture: Getty)

Arsenal have made an offer for highly-rated Rubin Kazan striker Sardar Azmoun – who has been dubbed the ‘Iranian Lionel Messi’.

The 19-year-old, who has made a handful of first-team appearances for Rubin, is rated as one of the best young players in Russia at present.

He has been linked with both AC Milan and Juventus recently, but Arsenal have been tracking him for a while, and have now made a move.

According to reports, the Gunners have offered Rubin £2million for the striker, who was scouted playing for Iran’s Under-20 team last year.

 

Azmoun told the Russian press at the time that Arsenal scouts had approached him, and that a transfer to the Emirates ‘would be a dream’.

And it now seems that Arsene Wenger is ready to go all out to sign the player, with club officials believed to be locked in negotiations with Rubin to try and thrash out a move.

A quick, skilful and agile striker, Azmoun only moved to Europe in 2013 from Iranian Pro League outfit Sepahan Isfahan.

Carlos Queiroz cool on World Cup but optimistic about Asian Cup.

Agence France-Presse

March 27, 2014 Updated: March 27, 2014 14:24:00

Globetrotting coach Carlos Queiroz says Asia’s No 1, Iran, have the passion and quality to win the Asian Cup in Australia next year.

The three-time continental winners were Wednesday drawn in Group C, the ‘Group of Gulf’, with all-Arab opposition from across the Gulf in United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain, but Queiroz believes they can go all the way.

Queiroz, the former assistant to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United who went on to manage Real Madrid and the Portuguese national team, is preparing Iran for their fourth World Cup finals appearance in Brazil where they are grouped with Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Nigeria.

He believes they will be better equipped to challenge for January’s Asian Cup after the experience of playing at the World Cup which begins in June.

“We try our best in Brazil. We have limited resources, we have some issues in our preparation but the federation is making a lot of effort to give the best to the players and the team,” Queiroz, from Portugal, said after Wednesday’s draw in Sydney.

“In the last three years despite all the difficulties Iran showed that the important thing in football is passion and if you have passion for the game that is always a good starting point.

“With the passion of the players and the fans we were able to qualify the team for the World Cup and I think using that extraordinary feeling of Iran they have a good chance to come to Australia and go back home with a medal . And who knows even the first position, I think it is possible.”

The 61-year-old, who will finish his two-and-a-half year contract as coach after the World Cup, believes Iran have improved during his time in charge.

“The team is playing much better football, more competitive and with the results. No doubt since I arrived there has been great progress in the team and the players,” he said.

“When I first arrived I remember if you were not able to put player A or B or C the entire nation was crying because it was all about a couple of names.

“After three years we play Kuwait with a second team and we can beat them.  So that means there is a great and fantastic potential in Iran, just a matter of putting things in the right place and the right programmes.”

While his eyes are on his main task at the World Cup, he is confident Iran can topple Asian powerhouses Japan and South Korea at the Asian Cup.  “Three years ago Iran was fourth or fifth in Asia and today is the number one country,” he said. “I don’t think it is a realistic position because Japan and South Korea are still in front of all the other countries in Asia in my opinion, but results are results.

“The number one Asian ranking should be used to raise the self-esteem of the players in order to create a better motivation to win the Asian competition. Japan and South Korea are very strong but with special work and not copying European or South American systems the Asian teams can close the gap (on the major nations).”

Omid Namazi Named Assistant Coach for the U.S. Women’s National Team

CHICAGO (March 26, 2014) – U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Tom Sermanni has named Omid Namazi as a full-time assistant coach to his staff.

“Omid brings significant experience in women’s and men’s soccer, at both club level and internationally,” said Sermanni. “He brings a fresh perspective but with a high degree of knowledge on the players and the women’s game. We’re on the same page philosophically on how we want the team to play and he’ll be a valuable asset to our program moving forward.”

Namazi, who holds a U.S. Soccer “A” coaching license, comes to the WNT from his position as an assistant coach for the Iran Men’s National Team.

Namazi served as an assistant coach for Iran from 2011-2014 and helped the team qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil by winning Group A in the Asian Qualifying Tournament ahead of the Korea Republic. Namazi was coaching in Iran as an assistant for Premier League club Steel Azin when he was tabbed to join the U.S. Women’s National Team staff.

Namazi has had an long coaching career in both men’s and women’s soccer, and was head coach of the San Diego Spirit of the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) in 2003, leading the team to its first and only playoff berth, as well as the Chicago Red Stars in Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS), taking over the team mid-season in early June of 2010 after the former head coach was let go.

“It’s a new challenge and an exciting one,” said Namazi. “It’s a great time for women’s soccer in the United States with the NWSL starting its second season, our Youth National Teams getting more and more support from U.S. Soccer and with the 2015 Women’s World Cup on the horizon. I’m sincerely enjoying working with some of the best players in the world and helping work to bring the team to an even higher level.”

After a successful college career at West Virginia, Namazi played 18 years of professional soccer for various indoor and outdoor clubs and was the MISL Defender of the Year for the Philadelphia KiXX in 2001. Namazi turned professional in 1988 with the Washington Diplomats of the American Soccer League.

Namazi, who has a bachelor’s degree in exercise philosophy from WVU, played for the U.S. National Futsal Team in 2002-2003, earning five caps while scoring two goals. He resides in Sewell, N.J. with his wife and two young sons.

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Former Iran assistant Namazi joins Sermanni’s staff

by Paul Kennedy, March 26th, 2014

Iranian-American Omid Namazi, who recently left Iran’s World Cup staff in part because he had not been paid in five months, has joined U.S. women’s national team head coach Tom Sermanni’s staff as a full-time assistant coach.

Namazi, who U.S. pro career included stints at 15 indoor and outdoor clubs, has coached two women’s pro teams: the San Diego Spirit of the Women’s United Soccer Association in 2003 and Chicago Red Stars in Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) in 2010.

“It’s a new challenge and an exciting one,” said Namazi. “It’s a great time for women’s soccer in the United States with the NWSL starting its second season, our youth national teams getting more and more support from U.S. Soccer and with the 2015 Women’s World Cup on the horizon. I’m sincerely enjoying working with some of the best players in the world and helping work to bring the team to an even higher level.”

The Utah-born Namazi was coaching Steel Azin in Iran when he joined Carlos Queiroz’s coaching staff. Another American, Dan Gaspar, was also part of the staff that led Iran to the group title in Asian qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. Gaspar remains with the squad that has struggled to get funding because of the impact of international sanctions, but Namazi told the New York Times he had not been paid in five months.

Namazi’s one game in MLS came in 1996 for the MetroStars when Queiroz was their coach.

Oceano appointed as an assistant to Queiroz

Tehran

Oceano Andrade da Cruz (born 29 July 1962), simply known as Oceano, has been appointed as the assistant coach of Team Melli. Oceano will replace  Simoez and Omid Namazi both of whom resigned their posts as assistant to Carlo Queiroz.

The Portuguese coach , whose last assignment was an assistant coach in Sporting Lisbon , will start his job immediately and join the Coaching staff of Team Melli under Queiroz. the 51 years old Oceano has played his professional football in Nacional , Sporting Lisbon (two separate spells) , Real Sociedad and Toulouse. He retired in 1999 in the French club.  The defensive midfielder also played for his country 50 times scoring 8 goals.

 

 

Teams managed
2009–2010 Portugal U21
2011–2012 Sporting CP (assistant)
2012 União Leiria (assistant)
2012 Sporting B
2012 Sporting CP (caretaker)
2012–2013 Sporting CP (assistant)
2014– Iran (assistant)